Forwards Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier are both considered probable to return to the lineup Friday when the Sharks face the Anaheim Ducks.
Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Hertl was a little fatigued after Wednesday when he practiced with the team for the first time since Feb. 23, but otherwise felt that he looked good for his first skate in two weeks. Hertl had been in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol after he tested positive for the coronavirus, and experienced symptoms for the first few days after he was isolated from the team.
Meier has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. Boughner said Meier was experiencing some tightness as he made turns during some drills, “but he got through it and he’s going feel better today once he gets on the ice.”
The Sharks went 1-1-0 in the two games without both Hertl and Meier.
Boughner said his plan is to play Kurtis Gabriel on Friday. Gabriel has played in three straight games for the Sharks after split time between the taxi squad and the AHL for much of the first six weeks of the season.
RECALLS: The Sharks on Friday recalled centers Fredrik Handemark and Antti Suomela from the Barracuda, as the two will be with the team for at least the start of the four-game road trip. After the Sharks play the Ducks on Friday and Saturday, they face the Vegas Golden Knights on March 15 and 17.
The moves could be more for insurance than anything. With Hertl probable to return, Dylan Gambrell was the Sharks’ third-line center and Patrick Marleau was the fourth-line center in practice Wednesday.
Handemark has played in one NHL game this season, on Jan. 18 when the Sharks played the St. Louis Blues, but has spent the majority of the season with the Barracuda.
Suomela, too, has been with the Barracuda for most of the season. His last NHL game came exactly a year ago, as the Sharks played the Chicago Blackhawks on March 11, 2020, a day before the league paused its season in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.